A Sympathetic Ear Last Assignment Remix
by M. Scott Eiland
Summary: With his long journey of Slayer rescuing almost done, Xander meets someone he can open up to. Written for Remix/Redux VII.


My entry in Remix/Redux VII. Enjoy. :-)

Title: A Sympathetic Ear (Last Assignment Remix)

Author: M. Scott Eiland

Summary: With his long journey of Slayer rescuing almost done, Xander meets  
>someone he can open up to.<p>

Rating: PG-13, for themes and language.

Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Spoilers and/or Warnings: All seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Title, Author and URL of original story: "Someday They Will Be Scarce," by  
>schmevil .<p>

My thanks to schmevil for providing a lovely story for me to remix.:-)

Xander hoisted his carry on bag over his shoulder and walked toward the baggage  
>claim area at Los Angeles International Airport. After months of traveling<br>around Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia, his final destination before heading  
>off to the new Slayer headquarters not far outside of London to be debriefed was<br>almost like going home again. Well, home without a big hole in the ground and  
>residual traces of absolute evil, anyway.<p>

Willow had called him just after he had finished up what was scheduled to be his  
>final Slayer retrieval mission for a while. Most of the North American Slayers<br>had been located in the first three months after they started actively searching  
>for them, and all but a handful had been found in six months. There had been one<br>Slayer who had moved around the United States in an irregular pattern over that  
>time, making tracking her down almost impossible. Willow's attempts at<br>divination magic were unable to produce a description or anything else about the  
>Slayer—the dueling theories were that she was either rich and on a semi-random<br>tour of the United States , or that she was homeless and simply hitching rides  
>on freight trains whenever the mood struck her. When Willow called Xander, the<br>mystery Slayer was the final one left to be contacted in North America—the other  
>one hundred and six were all accounted for. "She's in LA, Xander—she's stayed<br>put for a week now. I don't want her wandering away this time before we can talk  
>to her. You're the best we've got at this job—bring her back safe."<p>

Even if Xander had been inclined to refuse, Willow's voice produced a vision of  
>"resolve face" as intense as she could have produced standing right in front of<br>him. "No problem, Chief. I can stock up on Cheesy Chips while I'm finding our  
>last lamb." Willow had snorted and broken the connection, and Xander smiled<br>sadly before heading off to pack.

Seventy-two hours and many time zones later, he was in Los Angeles and already  
>thinking about how to find the elusive final Slayer. He had talismans that would<br>act as pointers—which he could use to triangulate—and a ring that Willow had  
>specifically enchanted to allow him to identify any Slayers in his field of<br>vision. Between that and checking local news sources for stories that might  
>indicate the presence of a Slayer still trying to get the hang of her new<br>powers, Xander was confident that he could find the Slayer—though he was  
>expecting to spend several days at the task. He picked up his pace, hoping to<br>grab his bag quickly and head out while there was still plenty of daylight.  
>There was a recent gravesite in a small cemetery a few miles away that he wanted<br>to visit during his searching-

"Hello, Xander."

The voice that stopped Xander in his tracks was completely unfamiliar to him,  
>though the cheerful, friendly tone reminded him briefly of Tara. He turned and<br>saw a woman who seemed to be about his age, give or take a year or two. She was  
>about five and a half feet tall, with a build that suggested that she exercised<br>regularly and was not afraid to eat a real meal. Her eyes were large and dark  
>and they were watching him with a hint of amusement. Xander noticed these things<br>automatically, but it was the information that the ring on his left hand was  
>giving him that had his attention fully riveted: this stranger was a Slayer—one<br>he had never seen or even heard described. Still, dealing with unexpected  
>situations like this had been part of his job for months now, and he hesitated<br>for only a moment before replying in a tone that intentionally projected both  
>mild confusion and complete non-aggression: "I'm sorry miss—have we met?"<p>

The woman smiled and said, "Not really—but I've been waiting here for you to  
>arrive."<p>

Xander frowned, and considered that comment for a moment before replying, "I  
>appreciate that Willow might have thought that I needed help here, but I'm<br>pretty sure I can handle myself in LA without a babysitter from the Watcher's  
>Council. There was no reason to have you break training to head over here."<p>

Xander saw the woman's eyes widen slightly before she replied, "I've never met  
>Willow, and I don't know what the Watcher's Council is. I'm here because I knew<br>you were coming here today—and because I have a feeling that you've come here to  
>try to find me."<p>

Things were starting to become clear to Xander, but he had to be sure—for  
>security reasons if nothing else: "How did you know I was coming here today?"<p>

"I had a dream about it," the woman replied matter-of-factly. "I've been  
>dreaming about you and your friends, and a lot of women who can fight really<br>well for almost nine months now. It's mostly images, but I can hear people  
>talking in them now and again. You're Xander, the short blonde girl is Buffy,<br>and the redhead is Willow. The hot older English guy is Giles. Willow apparently  
>knows magic, and Buffy is something called a Slayer, like those other women I<br>see flashes of." Xander stared, fascinated at the detail the woman remembered  
>from what were obviously Slayer dreams, and she saw the reaction and smiled<br>again before adding, "And you. . .you're certifiable, if you really do the  
>things I've been seeing in my dreams."<p>

Xander shifted uncomfortably, and was silent for a moment before he mumbled,  
>"Well, since I don't have to find you now, maybe we can go somewhere quiet and<br>talk—I'm here to explain some things to you, and give you some options. I'm  
>guessing that life has been a bit unusual for you since you started having those<br>dreams."

The woman chuckled. "You could say that." She walked over to the baggage  
>conveyor belt and grabbed a suitcase that was going by—Xander was unsurprised by<br>the fact that it was his suitcase and that she hefted it with enough ease to  
>make it look as if it was empty. She winked at Xander and called out, "I know a<br>place that will work fine for quiet conversation."

They walked out of the terminal and directly to a rental car she had parked a  
>few hundred feet away, and they were well on their way to their destination<br>before Xander belatedly realized he had forgotten something. He turned to his  
>left and asked quietly, "Um, what's your name?"<p>

* * * *

Her name was Gail Walters, and she had been making a quiet living writing travel  
>books when she woke up from a vivid dream and realized that she had become<br>superhuman. After a few more nights of dreams and a few mishaps with delicate  
>objects made it clear that the situation wouldn't be going away, she told her<br>publisher that she'd be going on a research tour for an indefinite amount of  
>time. Since that time she had traveled as the mood struck her, going from place<br>to place with no real plan or pattern. Abruptly, something changed: "I had a  
>particularly vivid dream ten days ago: I saw you exiting a plane at an<br>airport—there were more than enough hints to let me know exactly when and where  
>it would happen. I saw you walking by me, and turning as I greeted you. I'd been<br>having dreams for months about you looking for those other women, those other  
>Slayers, and talking to them before following you elsewhere—but I never got to<br>see what happened next. I decided that it was time to find out. I flew to LA and  
>rented this room for a month—and waited for you to get here."<p>

Xander shook his head. Buffy's Slayer dreams had always been scary accurate in  
>the important details, but this was something else altogether.<p>

They had arrived at her room after stopping in Eagle Rock for some very tasty  
>pizza she had ordered en route, and—after they had finished off the<br>pizza-Xander changed his usual routine by asking her to describe in detail what  
>she had experienced without first asking her any more questions—mostly to see<br>how she'd react to the request. She had favored him with another smile and  
>spoken for twenty minutes without pausing before reaching the present. Now that<br>she had told her story, it was time for him to offer her some insights into her  
>new condition. He took a deep breath and said, "I can cut out a lot of the usual<br>stuff I need to tell someone I've been looking for. You have a good idea of what  
>happened to you, and you know I'm not some creep or pervert out to take<br>advantage of you. There's a stuffy speech that Giles likes to give for this  
>thing, but I don't like it and you know a lot of it anyway. So here's the bottom<br>line: you're a Slayer, and I'm here to give you useful information and offer you  
>a trip back to headquarters to get you trained and to help you adjust to your<br>situation, whether you want to do the whole fighting evil thing or just want to  
>try to live as normal a life as possible. So what do you want to know?"<p>

Gail seemed to think about the question for a moment, then replied quietly, "I  
>want to hear about all of you. You, Buffy, the others. What you were doing since<br>she showed up at that school. The whole thing."

The response took Xander aback: sure, he was used to newbie Slayers wanting to  
>know about Buffy—but usually they wanted to know exactly what was going on with<br>them first, as suddenly being ten times as strong and fast as you were before  
>tends to freak normal people out, even before getting into the less obvious side<br>effects of being a fully activated Slayer. He frowned and asked, "Wouldn't you  
>rather know more about what has happened to you and what to expect?"<p>

Gail snorted. "You guys have been at this for what—seven or eight years now?"  
>Xander nodded, and Gail added pointedly, "What's going to tell me more about<br>what I need to know than what you've been through for all that time? You can  
>fill in any blanks as we go along."<p>

"OK, you're not wrong—but the long version of that is, well, long." Xander  
>replied.<p>

Gail shrugged. "I've got this place rented for three more weeks, and there are  
>plenty of restaurants around here that deliver. Are you in a rush to get out of<br>here?"

Xander considered the question and realized that no, he really wasn't. He  
>cleared his throat and began, "I was riding my skateboard one morning-"<p>

* * * *

Xander talked for three days, only stopping to eat, sleep, and take care of  
>other necessities, except for the occasions that Gail interrupted to ask for a<br>clarification of something he had said. Willow had called during the second day  
>to ask for an update, and Xander had handed the phone to Gail, who only said<br>three words-"Frog fear, Willow?"-before handing the phone back to Xander in  
>time for him hear the shout from the other end: "What are you telling her,<br>Xander?"

The answer to that question was "a hell of a lot, actually." Telling a story  
>here and there to give a newbie Slayer some idea of what she might have to<br>expect was one thing, but trying to tell the whole thing at once was something  
>else altogether. He found himself thinking ahead as he lay on the bed on the<br>guest room, thinking about details that Gail would find interesting or useful in  
>something that had happened long ago. By the end of the third day, he had<br>concluded his description of the events in Sunnydale, and had begun to talk  
>about the preparations to find the new Slayers all over the world when Gail<br>interrupted him: "You're leaving something out, Xander."

"Well, probably," Xander replied, looking back at Gail with a neutral  
>expression. "It is over seven years of memories, you know—and I'm not Willow.<br>What do you think I'm leaving out? Buffy or Willow could probably fill in the  
>blanks if you want them to."<p>

Gail smiled sadly and asked, "What about Anya, Xander?"

Xander flinched slightly. "What about her? She was my girlfriend—I almost  
>married her, and she died in Sunnydale just before everything went boom. She<br>wasn't a Slayer."

Gail sighed and moved to sit on the couch next to Xander as she replied, "She  
>was in your life for what—almost four years? She clearly knew what the deal was<br>with Sunnydale, and you cared about her enough to almost marry her before  
>something went wrong—and even after that she cared enough to stay there and join<br>you all in a fight that was pretty likely to kill all of you. Yet you only  
>mentioned her here and there in your stories—you didn't even mention how you met<br>her or how she ended up as your prom date. What was her story?"

Xander looked down at his feet and whispered absently, "Unusual. Nothing if not  
>unusual." He looked over at Gail and added, "Anya won't be there when we go to<br>England—I was leaving out stuff that I didn't think you'd be interested in."

"I asked to hear about things important to the people I'd be working with,  
>Xander—and it's pretty obvious that she's still really important to you." Gail's<br>voice was compassionate, but firm. "You've been out finding Slayers almost since  
>Sunnydale fell into the pit—have you ever taken the time to talk about her with<br>someone since then?"

"What makes you think I need to?" Xander frowned, and an edge of irritation was  
>audible in his voice.<p>

"Because even the few mentions you made of her made it clear that she meant a  
>lot to you." Gail replied, watching Xander's expression as she added, "Plus, you<br>completely ignored the hint I dropped the first night you were here—and I'm  
>pretty sure from the dreams I had that you like girls."<p>

Four years with Anya had rendered Xander immune to blushing, but he felt like  
>doing it for a moment. "Hint? What hint? I don't remember any hint."<p>

"When I told you about the spare bedroom, I also told you that you didn't have  
>to use it if you didn't want to." Gail sounded amused.<p>

"I thought you meant I could just crash on the couch if I wanted to." Xander  
>said.<p>

"Xander—I was topless when I said it." Gail smirked, and Xander flinched again,  
>visibly embarrassed. She sighed and added, "Relax—I've been turned down before<br>and I'm sure I will be again, even with the nifty new superpowers: I'm not  
>offended. Generally though, when I get turned down the guy at least notices that<br>I'm making the suggestion. I'm not a shrink, but it seems like that part of you  
>isn't open for business right now, and it's pretty obvious that Anya's the<br>reason."

"Anya's not exactly easy to explain to someone who wasn't around at the time."  
>Xander stood up and stared out the window of the room. Outside, cars<br>occasionally sped by through the lengthening shadows of the late afternoon. "A  
>story that begins: 'I met my girlfriend because she was a former vengeance demon<br>who lost her powers trying to punish me for being unfaithful to my former  
>girlfriend' can be hard to get past the 'are you kidding me?' part with the<br>audience."

"Yeah, I can see where that would be a conversation-stopper." Gail walked up  
>behind Xander and waited for him to turn around to face her before continuing:<br>"On the other hand, I've heard a lot of unusual stuff in the past three days and  
>seen a lot more in my dreams for nine months now. I'm pretty much your best bet<br>for a sympathetic ear, unless you want to talk to one of your friends about it."

Xander hesitated, then nodded before going back to sit on the couch. Gail  
>followed him and waited for a few moments before Xander looked over at her and<br>began: "She'd been a demon for over a thousand years when she lost her  
>powers—she'd been a human witch with a talent for vengeance, and some demon<br>decided to recruit her. By the time she lost her powers and wound up in  
>Sunnydale, she'd forgotten what it meant to be human. She was scary smart and<br>knew things, but she had no idea how to live like a normal human being."

"That sounds like it would be rough—trying to re-learn that sort of thing,  
>particularly with everything having changed. How did she deal with it?" Gail<br>coaxed, watching Xander's expression.

"Not so well at first," Xander allowed, wincing involuntarily at some of the  
>memories, "but after a while she found things she was good at. She helped Giles<br>run the magic store he bought after the Initiative thing was taken care of, and  
>she was the one who made it really profitable. She learned how to do online<br>trading and was making some serious money on that. She made quite a success of  
>herself before she died."<p>

"You sound proud of her." Gail commented.

"I don't have a right to be proud of her, but she managed to become an amazing  
>person—I hope. . .I hope she was proud of herself. She seemed to be, but I can't<br>really know what she was thinking." Xander shook his head and looked down again.  
>"She'd make connections in her head that I can't imagine making—living a<br>thousand years and having to re-learn a lot of things will do that to you, I  
>suppose. We had a little tradition over the years—every so often we'd sit down<br>and watch Casablanca together-"

"I love that movie." Gail smiled and added, "A lot of people do—that doesn't  
>strike me as particularly odd."<p>

"Maybe it wasn't. . .but I'm not really sure why she picked that movie to be our  
>tradition—or why I went along with it, for that matter." Xander sighed and shook<br>his head. "She was so blunt about most things. . .I always wonder what I managed  
>to miss because I didn't bother to look for anything subtle with her."<p>

"I don't think she was trying to be subtle, Xander," Gail replied. "Most people  
>like the movie because the idea of noble deeds and doomed love strikes them as<br>rather romantic. In your case. . .I think she just saw something familiar, and  
>you saw it too." Xander looked away, and Gail added, "I could be wrong, though.<br>Why not tell me more?"

Xander turned back to Gail, and she could see the doubt in his eye as she waited  
>for him to speak. After a minute or so, he swallowed hard and replied, "She was<br>terrified of bunnies. I never got that."

Gail laughed out loud, and Xander smiled as he continued, "Our first Halloween  
>together-"<p>

* * * *

Some Slayers were nervous flyers—particularly the ones who had never actually  
>seen a plane before, much less flown in one. Gail wasn't one of them. She dozed<br>quietly in the seat next to Xander as they crossed the Rockies on the way to  
>London via New York. He looked over and smiled at her—they had talked for two<br>more days about Anya and other things before heading out to make arrangements to  
>get her to England. Willow had been pleased at the news, but had asked him:<br>"Xander, are you OK? You sound. . .different."

"I'm good, Willow—just hard to believe that the job is done for now. We'll talk  
>about the whole thing when I get back." The amazing thing was, he was telling<br>the truth. Between finishing the job and the chance that Gail had given him to  
>give voice to some of the memories that he had accumulated over the years, he<br>felt better than he had in a long time. He knew that his troubles weren't over  
>by a long shot—there were still hundreds of Slayers needing training and<br>protection, after all. However, the chance that Gail had given him to actually  
>think about Anya rather than simply grieving for her had helped him settle some<br>things in his mind—he was feeling more like his normal self again. He was fairly  
>certain that the next time a topless woman said something to him, he'd notice<br>and possibly even reply. After all, Anya would have wondered what was wrong with  
>him if he didn't. He smiled at the thought and pulled the sleep mask down over<br>his eyes. There would be plenty of time to worry about that in England.


End file.
